


Spend Forever

by VampireGuardDogs



Series: twilight chaptered fics [2]
Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/F, Future, Psychic, Vision - Freeform, fortune teller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2019-08-23 06:29:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16613675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampireGuardDogs/pseuds/VampireGuardDogs
Summary: What would happen if Alice had seen Rosalie in her first vision?





	1. First Vision

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy! Come talk to me on Tumblr under the username vampireguarddogs and to see a bunch more Twilight content, including writing I don't post here and moodboards! I also accept writing requests for your favorite ship, character, or group. I love any kind of message, long or short, about my work or anything! Have a great day. :)

When she awoke, it was to darkness. But it was different than the darkness she had been in. For one, her eyes were open, and she could finally see. She didn't know what she was looking at, but it was so much different from the surrounding blackness that was all she could remember. It was lighter now, she could make out shapes and some other colors. All around her were twisting lines. Trees, with branches, she remembered. She looked above her, and could see bright spots of white peppered in the sky. The stars. It had been so long since she had seen them. She smiled faintly as she looked up, looking for the familiar patterns she knew in her childhood.

She sat up, wanting to further explore her surroundings. She was alone, unable to hear or see or smell anyone near her. There were just more trees as far as she could tell. She looked at the ground, and she was sitting in the middle of a small meadow. Flowers dotted the grass. She stood up, unsure of where to go from here. She wondered how long she had been sleeping on the ground, or why she was in the meadow. She racked her brain trying to remember, but she could only recall blurry flashes. An unfamiliar man glaring a her with an evil smile, another man picking her up, and then the forest flying past at an impossible speed. Neither man was around, and she didn't know what the images meant.

As she thought, she began to see other things. Much sharper images this time. She saw a man and a woman standing together and laughing. Their eyes were the strangest color, almost golden. A younger boy, a teenager, was with them. His eyes matched theirs. She was sure she had never seen these images before; she would have remembered faces as beautiful and kind as theirs. Kindness wasn't something she had seen too much of. Who were these people? How could she find them? Why was she seeing them? And how?

She reached further with her mind, trying to see more of this strange thought. Vision, her mind suddenly told her. In this moment, she realized she was seeing the future. How could she see this? Did the men who had brought her here know anything about this? Did they give these powers to her? She explored further, wanting to see more from these kind people with the gold eyes.

They were standing in front of a house, in a forest not unlike the one she was standing in now. The house was big and white, with a lot of windows on the lower and upper levels. A shaded porch wrapped around the entire front of the house, and stretched onto the sides. The older man with blonde hair stepped forward, as if in greeting. He said something, but she couldn't make out the words. The woman with long brown hair said something in response. They both smiled. The younger boy with bronze hair laughed; but what was the trigger?

The vision changed, and suddenly she could see who they were talking to. A short woman with black hair was standing in front of them. She had the same strange golden eyes. She was also beautiful, and smiling at the trio of vampires in front of them. Vampires? The word had seemed like an impossible thing, like something out of a horror movie. but now, it was real. She took a deep breath, and suddenly felt the fire in her throat. She clutched her hands around it, wondering what had happened. One word stuck in her mind: thirst. She knew how to quench the fire, or at least calm it, but could she really do that? Could she really end another person's life?

She reached back for the vision, trying to find another answer. The teenager with the bronze hair was now with the short black haired woman, and they were walking through the forest. Images flashed by faster, quick little snapshots. A lion, leaping through the air. The teenager, leaping with it. The lion landing and roaring in pain. The teenager, with his arms locked tightly around the lion's body. His teeth were at the lion's throat. She understood. Vampires could survive off of animal blood? Was that actually possible? Did that explain the strange color of their eyes?

She took another deep breath. She would find her answer later. For now, she wanted to understand who these people were. She had been alone for a long time; it was all she knew. She didn't want to be alone anymore. She wasn't sure how she knew, but it was her with these kind people. Vampires, she corrected. How did she find them? Did they know who had changed her? Would they welcome her as one of their own? Did she belong with them? Where were they? Who were they? Her mind filled, once again, with the images of the trio and herself in front of the house. 

These images were 13 years later. She would have to be alone for 13 years before she could find them. She took a deep breath, unhappy with the thought. But at least it was something. She would find them, and wait. She searched the vision, trying to find any clues to their location. Rochester, New York. something told her. She smiled. The place sounded familiar, though she had never been. She knew she would be able to find it. She would go their and bide her time, waiting to find the kind, golden eyed strangers. But they didn't feel like strangers. She didn't know them at all, but somehow she knew they would become her family. She would begin her journey later, for now she had to hunt, and plan.

She started to take a step further into the forest, but then stopped. There was someone in the vision she hadn't noticed before. Now that she had, she couldn't look away, or understand how she had missed this woman earlier. This woman's eyes were bright, bright red. Somehow, this wasn't her most astonishing feature. She was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She had long, golden hair trailing in soft waves down her back. She had full lips and a small button nose. Her eyes were a lovely shape she couldn't quite identify; the strange color somehow added to their beauty.

As she looked closer at the woman, she realized what else was different about her. She looked wary, almost frightened of the trio, despite their kind eyes. She seemed to recognize them, and that was worrisome. What was she so concerned with? Did she know something about the trio that wasn't clear? She searched for another vision, something to tell her about the woman's fear. She couldn't see anything further, just more of this meeting, or her hunting with the bronze-haired teenager or the beautiful blonde woman. The blonde woman seemed to keep her distance from the trio, but not from herself. She smiled, happy that the woman seemed comfortable with her.

She explored further, trying to understand the depth of their relationship. The two were walking together now, holding hands in the forest. For the first time, she was able to hear the words spoken in her vision.

"It's okay. We'll be safe here," she was saying to the blonde girl. "I've been watching these people. They are kind and open. They'll help us. We can stay with them. I know this isn't the life you wanted, but I've seen our future. We're happy together, with them. They'll become our family." the blonde girl shook her head, pulling away. 

"Are you sure? Is this where I belong?" the blonde asked, looking at the ground. "I've never felt at home anywhere. Not here. How do I know I will feel it with them?" 

"Because I'm here. I'm your home now. I promise you, you'll find your happiness and home here. This is where you belong."

The blonde took a deep breath. "I still don't know. But I do trust you. I belong wherever you are, Alice," the blonde said, looking up at her companion and into her eyes for the first time. The vision ended, and she smiled.

"My name is Alice," she declared to the meadow. "I will find happiness with that family, with the beautiful blonde woman by my side."


	2. Thirteen Years Pass

The next thirteen years went by slowly; Alice spent them mostly alone. She stayed close to the meadow that she was reborn in; afraid to go too far for fear it would change too much. A part of her was also hoping she would see her creator again; she never understood how he had just left her alone. She didn't know what she was or how to be like this.

The first year, she never left the meadow. She hunted exclusively whatever unwitting animal wandered in; mostly rabbits and deer. Once she saw a mountain lion, but she was too frightened to attempt to take it down. She didn't know how much it could hurt her, or how to save herself if it did. She fought the urge to pounce it as the animal slinked around the meadow, looking for its own hunt. Eventually it had left, and she was able to breathe again.

The next year, she began to venture further into the trees. They went on for dozens of miles in any direction; she was unable to find any sign of people living nearby. This was good, for her. She was unsure of her ability to resist the urge to pounce on a human, and didn't want the dark opportunity to present itself. She learned how fun it was to leap from treetop to treetop, seeing how long she could go without touching the ground. Her record was a week before she got tired of hunting the birds and came back down.

The third year, she went out further. She knew that, eventually, she needed to head to Rochester, New York to find the family and the woman she had seen in her vision. But she wasn't ready for that yet. The meadow didn't feel like home anymore, so she began to find another place to stay. She was lonely, having not spoken to anyone since she had woken. This couldn't be her existence for the next ten years. Eventually, she had to test her ability to resist around humans.

The fourth year, she began to walk towards New York to find the people from her visions. Eventually, she realized that she was currently in the state of Mississippi from some road signs. Most of her time was spent traveling from one forest to another, waiting until nightfall to cross any gaps. She was terrified of being seen. She was traveling northeast; something was pulling her in this direction. The land didn't seem to change much as she walked, but she hoped it was in the right direction. How long this journey would take, she didn't know.

The fifth year, she found herself walking through a different area. The land was changing slightly; she was in Tennessee now. The forests were further between; she spent more time walking through different cities. When around people, she held her breath. She wasn't sure how strong her ability to resist was yet, but she was scared to find out. She managed to buy a map from a small convenience store, and tried to trace her progress. She was in her second state now, and it looked like she had three more to cross before reaching New York. She resolved to go slower now. This would allow her more time to develop her resistance, and possibly offer more chances to be around people. She continued on through Tennessee, spending up to a month in certain less populated areas. Soon, she trusted herself around humans without holding her breath, but only if she had recent hunted.

The next three years she spent in Kentucky. The mountains and hills were beautiful to her, and the forests were plentiful; full of different animals to hunt. She took down a mountain lion for the first time, and found it to taste better than other, less carnivorous animals she had hunted previously. Throughout her time in Kentucky, she trusted herself to spend more and more time with humans. She was able to be around them for longer periods of time, even if it had been a few days since her last hunt. It got easier the longer she lived this new life. Every day, she checked the same map, and wondered what her life would become once she found the family. It didn't seem so far away now.

The tenth year she found herself in Ohio. This land was much flatter, and it was harder to travel on foot as there were less places to hide. Sometimes, she traveled by night on foot. She spent her days in the local towns, spending time in various shops and sitting in cafes, watching the people that came and went. She tried taking a train once from one area of the state to another, but found it difficult to be in such an enclosed state with humans for so long. She got off as quickly as she could without attracting attention. She ended up running much more here than she had in other parts of her journey.

The next two years she traveled through Pennsylvania. There wasn't much here either, but she didn't want to get to New York too quickly so she took her time. She was enjoying the slow journey; it allowed her the chance to explore her new world, and discover who she was. She was also hesitating getting to her final destination because she didn't want to see any of the subjects of her visions before it was time. She didn't know how they would change or if they would. It wasn't something she was going to risk. This vision had kept her going alone for twelve years; it wouldn't be taken from her now.

The next year was the thirteenth year since she had been changed. She was slowly traveling through New York. As soon as she arrived, she found somewhere she could buy a map of the state. After looking at it, she realized that she wasn't actually that far from Rochester. She began traveling slower. She thought back to her visions; the trees had had leaves in vivid colors of red, orange, and yellow. She didn't want to arrive in Rochester until fall when she saw the leaves changing.

At the end of the summer, she found herself unable to wait any longer and began to stay in woods that were on the outskirts of the town. She searched through her visions constantly, waiting for some kind of sign that it was time. She didn't know what she was looking for, but knew she would know it when she saw it. Her visions showed her small snapshots of the woman she had seen and the family. She learned that the oldest man was a doctor of the town; she marveled at his ability to be so near humans. The woman was unfailingly kind; most of her time was spent making food and knitting warm things, most of which she donated to various charities. The teenager seemed to spend most of his time alone, reading and playing the piano. Watching this family's life, she felt like she was already a part of it. She knew she would be soon.

The woman was different, and this frightened Alice some. The woman she had seen in her vision was clearly one of them; a vampire. But in these current visions, she was clearly still human. What was the difference? What had changed. She still had a house, and loving parents, and a man she seemed to be close to, even though there was something off about the relationship. She seemed happy enough; what change would happen in her life that would bring her to the future Alice had seen?

Alice found out soon enough. The leaves had only just begun to change, but the changes happened quickly. She had been watching flickers of her visions in her head, flitting between visions of the family and of the woman. She lingered longer on the visions with the woman; somehow, she knew the catalyst would happen with her.

The woman was spending time with another woman, also visibly human. They were playing with a child; Alice smiled as she watched them play. Soon, she got up to leave. It was so late, Alice couldn't help herself from worrying. She kept watching the vision. The woman was walking home, nearing a group of men standing under a street lamp. She shivered; whether from the cold or company, Alice couldn't tell. One of the men looked up, saw the woman, and smiled.

Alice immediately leaped out of the tree she was perched in and began running, following her visions to find the woman. She kept watching the vision, praying she wouldn't be too late. With the vision, she could see the eyes of the man that had smiled. The image was burned into her brain; she couldn't escape it. She had seen the look one other time. It was a dim memory, from her days as a human. One of the only memories she from those days. It was the man who had glared at her with a cold smile before her painful transformation; the kind of smile that holds nothing but the promise of evil things. Alice ran faster.


	3. Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw for sexual assault, abuse, blood, and rape

Alice ran like a bullet through the forest, dodging branches and leaping over logs without really paying attention to her surroundings. Her eyes darted around the forest without absorbing what was around. Her mind was still trained on the vision she had been watching, the one that brought the fear that had began her flight. She was only getting flickers now, as different futures began to take shape depending on the decisions of the men involved. 

Some had the woman walking by without incident. Others involved a few lewd comments, the woman's pace quickening as she passed them. Others were worse. The woman was forced to stop. These visions were slowly becoming more frequent, although each one had small differences. But they all ended the same. Alice held her breath as the scent of human blood appeared in her vision. One vision was becoming stronger than all the others, appearing more often. Each time it appeared, Alice tried to run faster. The time was getting closer.

Looking further in her visions, Alice checked back in on the woman as close to the present time as she could. She was just leaving her friend's house, hugging her goodbye. The man of the house appeared to offer to walk her home, but she declined. She lived so close by. it seemed a waste, and besides, the friend looked too happy to have him home. She left the house and began walking down the street. She pulled her coat tighter around herself. Despite it being mid September, it was unseasonably cold. 

Alice finally broke out of the forest and had reached the outskirts of the town. She tried to stay in the shadows, but the worry of discovery was in the back of her mind now. She was running too fast to really be seen, and she didn't pass many humans anyway. She ran through the streets, hoping she could reach the woman in time but fearing she may be unable to.

The woman was now a few streets from her friend's house, but still a few streets from her house. She must have been distracted, as she took a wrong turn down another road. Her pace slowed as she realized this. She looked around, and realized she was on the wrong street but would be able to backtrack to the right one. At the end of this street, she saw a group of men huddled under a streetlamp. They must have been drunk; who else would be out in this weather? Her mother's warnings ran through her head, and she looked around for another route to avoid passing the men, but there was nothing. She took a deep breath, looked straight ahead, and quickened her pace as she got closer, hoping to be unnoticed as she passed them

Alice ran still faster, knowing that she was close to the awful scene she had seen in her vision. It hadn't changed for a few minutes now; the direction these events would take were clear. She was getting close, only a few miles away now. She blinked the vision away when the woman was stopped by the men. One of them had grabbed her, and yanked her towards them. Alice didn't want to watch. She focused on her surroundings now as it was more important than ever that she take the quickest path to the woman. There must be something Alice could do to save her. 

The scent of blood reached Alice when she was still a mile away. She slowed for a split second as fear overcame her; was she too late? A few seconds later, when she was a quarter of a mile away, she heard the sound she was waiting for: a beating heart. It was faint, but it was there. Alice slowed to a human's walking pace when she was a few feet away, at risk of scaring the woman or scarring her further.

"Mam? Can I help?" Alice asked as she came across the scene. She had stopped breathing by this point, as the scent of blood was too strong. Speaking became difficult due to lack of air. She took a quick breath in through her mouth when the woman didn't respond. She had to try again, and keep trying. Alice couldn't leave her like this.

"Mam? What happened?" Alice asked, stepping closer to the woman to examine her. Her eyes were closed, and her mouth was open. She took ragged breaths in and out, her chest barely rising and falling. Bruises were darkening her pale skin, and she had several cuts that were bleeding. Her clothes were torn to rags. Alice took her coat off and laid it over the woman, covering her small frame. The woman's eyes shot open.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her eyes going wide with fright. Her voice came out in a gasp, and the action of speaking seemed to pain her.

"My name is Alice," Alice explained as calmly as she could, despite the fact her fear was growing as she realized how bad the woman was. "I want to help you."

"I know everyone in town. But I've never seen you before," the woman said, wincing as she tried to sit up. Her eyes were still wide with fright.

"Don't move; you'll hurt yourself further," Alice explained, lightly setting her hand on the woman's shoulder to push her back down. The woman's skin was cold, which shocked Alice. Nothing felt cold to her skin. "I live outside of town," Alice said distractedly as she searched for the woman's future. The couldn't see anything after a few minutes, and Alice was terrified. This woman was going to die. There had to be a way she could stop it.

"What's your name?" Alice asked.

"Rosalie," the woman said, her eyes falling shut again. Her breathing slowed. Alice frantically racked her brain, looking for something, anything she could do to help. She searched the future, but noone came by and the woman was getting weaker by the second. Alice became determined to save the woman herself. As this thought formed, a new vision took shape. The woman with hard, pale skin and bright red eyes, much like Alice had been in the beginning. But how did this happen? Alice didn't know how she had become like this; how was she supposed to transform another person? 

She had another vision, this time of herself and the woman. It looked like she was biting her. When Alice in the vision leaned away with blood dripping from her mouth, Alice snapped back to reality. She knew what she had to do to save this woman. But did the woman want to be saved like that? Alice couldn't do that to her without asking her first.

"Rosalie?" Alice asked, wondering if the woman was still conscious. She let out a small groan, which Alice hoped meant she was listening. "I know a way to save you. But you'll have to change. You'll never be able to see your family again or go back to your old life. I'll help you through the transition. Your life will never be the same again, but you will have a life still. Do you want me to do it?"

Rosalie was silent for a few moments. She had grown so still Alice feared the worst had happened. The only thing that kept her grounded was the sound of the heartbeat, still growing fainter. "Do it," Rosalie suddenly said, so quiet Alice only just heard it, but the sound still startled her.

"Are you sure?" Alice asked. "It can't be undone."

"Yes," Rosalie said, louder and with more resolve this time. She opened her eyes and looked directly at Alice for the first time. "I want you to save me. You're the only one I trust to do it. You're the only one who's ever asked me what I want," she said, and then her eyes slipped shut again. Her heartbeat slowed still further. 

Alice took a deep breath, allowing the scent of the blood to fill her body and mind. The scent punched her in the throat as the flames grew. This was the most painful her thirst had ever been. She hoped she could control herself. She took another deep breath in an attempt to control the flames, and then bent down to place her teeth against the woman's neck.


	4. Burning

Alice tore herself away, fighting against her instinct that demanded she keep going to satisfy her thirst. Rosalie lay on the pavement unmoving. She hadn’t moved since Alice had bitten her. Alice couldn’t help but worry that she had gone too far, and had taken too much. Or that she had maybe been too late. She searched the future again, looking for some sign that everything would be okay. Or that it wouldn’t. But everything was black. There was nothing she could see. Alice remained kneeling beside Rosalie, waiting for something, anything, to change.

Rosalie gasped, her eyes flying open. She writhed on the pavement, not understanding what was happening to her. Alice winced as Rosalie screamed, not sure if this was a normal part of the process.

“Is this supposed to happen?” Rosalie gasped, fighting back another scream. 

“I… I don’t remember my own transformation,” Alice said, trying to be honest.

“So you don’t know if it’s supposed to feel like I’m on fire?” Rosalie asked, fighting back tears. She reached out a hand, which Alice hesitantly took. 

“I don’t,” Alice said simply. “But it makes sense. My throat always feels like it’s on fire,” she tried to reason, hoping this was normal. 

“So that’s something to look forward to,” Rosalie said with a bitter chuckle. She screamed again, unable to hold it back. Alice squeezed her hand in sympathy before looking around her. The streetlights were on, helping to illuminate the sidewalk they were sitting on. No one else was around, but the were in front of houses and other buildings. Alice could hear laughter spilling out of bars down the street. People could look out onto the street at any moment, and wonder why there were two women lying on the sidewalk.

“Rosalie?” Alice asked nervously.

“Yes?” she gasped in response.

“We can’t stay here. We should move somewhere. I don’t know how long this will take but we can’t risk being seen,” Alice tried to explain, not sure how Rosalie would feel about it.

“I don’t think I can walk anywhere,” Rosalie said, gasping as another wave of the burn hit her. 

“If you’re comfortable with it, I can carry you,” Alice said, hoping not to offend the woman.

“Can you?” Rosalie asked doubtfully.

“Don’t worry about that,” Alice said. “I have you.”

“Okay then. Let’s leave. I don’t want to be here anymore,” Rosalie said.

“Understood. Let me know if I need to be more gentle” Alice said, speaking softly as she slowly stood. She then carefully bent down. Rosalie lifted her head so Alice could slide her arm underneath her body, and she slid her other arm under Rosalie’s legs before lifting her off of the pavement as gently as she could. She was surprised to find how cold the woman’s body was; Rosalie hadn’t realized she only had the small dress on. She also couldn’t believe how much safer she felt in Alice’s arms that she had in a long, long time. Her arms wrapped around Alice’s neck, pulling their bodies closer for comfort as Alice stood, testing her strength in more ways than one. 

“Close your eyes. I’m going to go fast,” Alice said, looking in Rosalie’s eyes for the first time. She was surprised to see how dark they looked. Rosalie obeyed quickly, closing her eyes before Alice could look too closely at them. Alice waited another moment before holding her breath. She couldn’t risk breathing right now, not when Rosalie was so close to her. She would not hurt her further. 

And then she took off. She darted through the streets, running back through the forest to where she had been waiting. She set Rosalie down on the ground, as softly and quickly as she could so she wasn’t touching her longer than necessary. Rosalie stayed in the position Alice had set her down in, and her eyes remained closed. Alice listened for her breath and heartbeat to ensure she was still alive. Her breath was ragged and her heartbeat seemed much too quick, but she was alive. 

Alice took a blanket out of the tree she had been sitting in and laid it over Rosalie. “You can open your eyes now,” Alice said, sitting on the forest floor across from her, but a few feet away.

“Where are we?” Rosalie asked, slowly opening her eyes and examining the area around her. She gasped again as her face contorted in pain. 

“In the forest on the outskirts of town. I’ve been staying here,” Alice explained, looking at the ground.

“Why have you been staying here?” Rosalie asked between gasps. 

“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” Alice said, not yet wanting to tell Rosalie what she was or about her vision. There would be time for that later, when she was stronger. “Can you sleep now?” Alice asked, trying to delay the conversation. 

“I’m in too much pain to sleep. And worrying about what’s happening. I’ve never felt more awake,” Rosalie said, reacting as she burnt further. Alice supposed she would never sleep again.

“I’m sorry,” Alice said. She may not have done this if she knew how much Rosalie would be hurting.

“Please keep talking,” Rosalie begged, resisting the urge to scream again. Screaming didn’t help. “It distracts me from the pain,” she explained. Alice didn’t know what to say. What could she possibly say that wouldn't hurt her further? Alice was starting to doubt her decision. But it had seemed so right in her vision.

“You said I would be changed. What’s going to happen to me?” Rosalie asked, pressing for more information from Alice. She grappled with whether to tell her now, or try stalling until later.

“You’re turning into a vampire,” Alice said in a rush, making her decision. 

“A what?” Rosalie asked in shock, gasped as the flames flared. 

“A vampire,” Alice said again nervously. She had no idea how Rosalie was reacting. She tried to look ahead, searching her visions, but they were still dark. 

“As in, Dracula? Allergic to garlic? Burned by the sun? Can’t touch silver? No reflections? Fangs?” Rosalie asked, feeling like she must have gone delirious from the pain. Alice chuckled once, without much actual humor.

“Yes. I mean, no. Same general idea. But the legends don’t have much right. At least as far as I can tell.”

“So you drink blood?”

“Only from animals. I don’t want to hurt people. It works perfectly fine.”

“So the stories get that much right.”

“Yes. I suppose they do.”

“What else?”

“What else, what?”

“What else is there to being a vampire? If I’m going to be one, I think you’re obligated to tell me what it will be like.” Rosalie pressed, wincing again. Alice paused for a moment,trying to figure out what she could say that wouldn’t make it sound like she had dragged Rosalie down into a living hell with her.

“You crave blood most of the time. But there are ways to manage it. Animals or people, I don’t think the source matters much. I honestly am not sure what is true and what isn’t. No one was there to explain any of this to me. Some I’ve guessed. Some I’ve… seen.”

“What about the person who changed you?” 

“I don’t know who changed me. I never met them. I woke up alone.”

“How did you know how to change me then?”

“I saw it. It seemed like the most logical way.” Alice wouldn’t explain her visions yet. Rosalie didn’t need to know that.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you change me?”

“I couldn’t just let you die like that. It wasn’t right,” Alice said, partially telling her the truth. Then she heard the sounds of someone approaching. “Wait, someone’s coming,” she said, leaping to her feet.

“Who?” Rosalie asked. She tried to stand, too.

“No, stay. I’ll keep you safe,” Alice said, helping her get back into a more comfortable position.

“I’ve heard that before,” Rosalie muttered, not realizing that Alice could hear her.

“I mean it. You’re safe with me,” Alice said, taking Rosalie’s hand and looking into her eyes. “Super hearing is a perk of being a vampire,” she explaining when Rosalie looked confused. 

Alice let go of her, and then stood. She darted in the direction of the sound of nearing footsteps. She left Rosalie where she was, hoping to keep her safe from whoever - or whatever - had found them.


	5. Intruder/Visitor

Alice hovered behind a tree, making sure she was a safe distance from Rosalie. She wanted to be far enough away that she could not be easily seen, but close enough so that Alice could easily protect her if that was what the situation called for. She carefully sniffed the air, hoping that it would be just an animal that she could easily scare off. But it didn’t smell like an animal. The scent was strangely sweet, but she couldn’t place it, even though it was familiar.

Suddenly, a man appeared only a few feet from Alice. She stiffened, but hesitated when she realized she recognized him. He was the man from her vision. Alice stepped out from behind the tree that she had been hiding behind, and took a defensive stance before speaking.

“Who are you?” she demanded. He slowly turned towards her, his hands outstretched.

“My name is Carlisle. I mean you no harm. My family is nearby, and I wanted to investigate when I smelled another of our kind,” he said, taking a step towards her. Alice allowed the proximity, but she did not relax her stance.

“Another of your kind?” Alice asked.

“Yes, another vampire,” he explained. “Our home is nearby, and we like to be careful, especially if visitors are in the area. It helps us avoid discovery.”

“I’m careful. I won’t hurt a human,” Alice said, relaxing a little. Carlisle looked confused.

“But I found your scent in town, near… may I ask what happened?” he asked, unable to put the pieces together.

Alice took a moment to study the man. He was exactly like she had seen him in her vision thirteen years ago, albeit with slightly darker eyes. She had trusted him for thirteen years; why should she stop now?

“I found a woman who had been badly hurt. I took her here after biting her. I… I think she’s becoming one of us. But… I don’t know if I did it right,” Alice tried to explain, giving as few details as she could. She hadn’t seen them meeting. She didn’t want to destroy her chances with this family. And, it wasn’t her story to share.

“Can you take me to her?” he asked. “I may be able to help. I’ve changed a few vampires myself, so I’m familiar with the process.”

Alice hesitated. Rosalie trusted her, and she didn’t know if bringing an unknown vampire to her would hurt that. “Let me ask her first,” Alice finally said, turning to leave. “Please don’t follow me,” she added, turning back and staring into his eyes, willing him to understand how important this was.

“I’ll wait right here,” he said without hesitation. Alice nodded in thanks, and then turned to walk back to Rosalie, wondering how she could explain this. She walked slowly, trying to organize all her thoughts before reaching Rosalie again.

“Who’s there?” Rosalie asked, her voice hoarse with pain and fear. Alice darted to her side.

“It’s just me, Rosalie,” Alice said, taking her hands.

“Who was it?” Rosalie asked. “I heard voices,” she added, gasping in pain. Alice was surprised. She thought she had met Carlisle far enough away that Rosalie shouldn’t have been able to hear. 

“Another vampire. He’s really gentle. And like me, he doesn’t hunt humans. He wants to come back and try to help. He has experience with this kind of thing,” Alice explained, rubbing her hands with her thumbs to soothe her. Rosalie still looked scared.

“I don’t know,” Rosalie said. “How do you know we can trust him?” she asked.

“I… I’ve met him before. He’s trustworthy. And kind,” Alice said, wincing with the slight lie. In a way, she had met him before, just through a vision instead of in person.

“If you trust him, I can too. Especially if he can help with this,” Rosalie said, gasping again.

“Okay. I’ll go get him,” Alice said, softly squeezing Rosalie’s hand before letting go to get Carlisle. She darted back to him, slowing down when she was near him so she wouldn’t risk startling him. She reached him, but he spoke before she could.

“I heard most of that,” he said, his voice not betraying any of the shock he felt at Alice’s lie or at learning who the woman was. “It’s okay that I can come help?”

“Yes, please,” Alice said. “Follow me,” she added as she turned and began walking back to Rosalie. Carlisle followed a few steps behind her.

“Rosalie, we’re here. This is Carlisle,” she said, stepping aside to allow Carlisle to stand next to her. Rosalie’s eyes widened in shock.

“Hello, Ms. Hale,” Carlisle began, hoping to calm her. “May I look at your injuries? I’d like to make sure everything is okay.”

“You know each other?” Alice asked.

“You’re a vampire?” Rosalie asked, not answering his question.

“We know of each other, but we’ve never been formally introduced,” he said to Alice, turning briefly to look at her as he spoke. “And yes,” he began, turning back to Rosalie. “I was changed a long time ago, and didn’t quite agree with the evil vampires had been painted to be. I never lost my compassion, my care for other people. I trained myself to avoid human blood, feeding on animals instead. I eventually became a doctor so I could help people,” he explained, waiting for Rosalie to react.

“The town doctor is a vampire. There’s a horror story for you,” she muttered. Carlisle cracked a small smile, but otherwise didn’t respond. Alice looked between the two of them, unsure of what to do now. Rosalie cried out in pain, causing a reaction from both Alice and Carlisle.

“I would like to help, if you want me to,” Carlisle said, taking another step towards her. “May I examine you?” he asked again. Rosalie nodded, and Carlisle walked towards her. “Can you lay on your back please?” he asked, kneeling beside her. Rosalie nodded, and tried to adjust herself. She cried out in pain.

“Alice?” she asked. “Can you help me?” she asked, grimacing as she spoke. Alice hurried over and gently took Rosalie in her arms, carefully setting her on her back on the ground. She kept hold of Rosalie’s hand as Carlisle began to examine her. The examination was brief, with Carlisle explaining everything he was doing as he worked. Rosalie nodded along, watching as his hands skimmed over her, barely touching unless absolutely necessary.

“Well, I have some good news and some bad news,” Carlisle said, standing up and taking a few steps back from the women.

“Good news first?” Rosalie asked as Alice helped her back into a sitting position, leaning her back against the tree.

“You’re going to be absolutely fine,” Carlisle told her with a smile. “Ms. Alice here did everything right.” Alice couldn’t help but smile at his praise.

“So she’ll be a vampire?” Alice couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“Yes. It will take a few days. Which leads me to the bad news,” Carlisle answered, frowning with what he was about to tell them. “I’m afraid the pain is normal. And it continues through the whole transformation. Judging by how you still seem to be, I’d guess you still have another two and a half days, give or take a few hours.” Rosalie couldn’t help the tears that fell as she heard his words.

“I’m going to feel like I’m burning for three days?” she choked out, screaming as another wave of the burn and her anger hit her.

“Yes. I’m so sorry. I remember it clearly; it’s truly awful. But you should begin to feel slightly better as your other injuries heal,” he said, hoping to help calm her. Rosalie refused to answer, silent tears sliding down her cheeks. Alice took her hand again to comfort her, but Rosalie yanked it away.

“Thank you for your help,” Alice said, standing up and walking to him.

“Anything you need. I should be getting back to my family now, so I’ll be leaving. Can you walk with me?” he asked. Alice nodded.

“I’ll be back, Rosalie,” she said, turning to speak to her. Rosalie didn’t respond, so she began walking with Carlisle.

“What happened here?” Carlisle asked once they were out of earshot.

“I found her injured in the streets,” Alice confessed. “I couldn’t just let her die. She deserved better than that.”

“I can understand that,” Carlisle said. He knew only too well about people that deserved better than to have their lives ended like that.

“Why did you say we had met?” Carlisle asked.

“I thought it would make it easier for her to trust you,” Alice said with a shrug.

“But it was a lie,” Carlisle protested.

“Not entirely,” Alice muttered before she could stop herself.

“I beg your pardon?” Carlisle asked. Alice paused, debating if she should tell him.

“I have visions of the future. Thirteen years ago, after I woke up from my own transformation, I was alone. But what kept me going was that I had a vision of myself and Rosalie joining your family. I do feel like I know you, because I’ve been watching you over the years, through my visions. Sorry if that sounds weird,” she added, ducking her head.

“I’m good with weird. My son is a mind reader. Literally,” Carlisle said, not sounding at all surprised by her words. “You’re perfectly welcome to join our family. Talk with Ms. Hale when she’s done, and determine if it’s right for either of you,” he said, reaching out to shake her hand. “I’ll see you in a few days,” he said before letting go and darting into a house Alice could barely see through the trees. Alice was left standing alone in the forest. For the first time in thirteen years, Alice wasn’t sure that she could trust her visions anymore.


	6. 216000

Rosalie sat on the ground where Alice and Carlisle had left her. Her head was resting against the tree behind her, the rough bark scratching her back. She could barely feel the bark against the burning fire raging through her body. She tried taking deep breaths to calm herself, or distract her from the pain. It didn’t help; the flames continued to engulf her, leaving her in burning pain. Tears began to fall down her cheeks; she didn’t bother to wipe her away. It didn’t matter what she looked like anymore.

“Rosalie?” Alice called as she walked back into the clearing. Rosalie didn’t respond. She stayed leaving against the tree. “Rosalie? Are you okay?” Rosalie laughed bitterly, but otherwise didn’t respond. Alice walked to her side, but she turned her head away and closed her eyes. Alice took a deep breath, trying to determine what to say to help the woman forgive her, or at least talk to her. “Stupid question, right. Is there anything I can do?” she tried again. Rosalie just shook her head.

“Okay. I’ll just sit here then,” Alice said, taking a seat next to Rosalie on the ground, making sure they weren’t touching. “Or do you want me to go?” Alice asked, hesitating before moving to stand. Rosalie didn’t move for a moment, leaving Alice to wonder if Rosalie had heard her. But then she shook her head again, and Alice sat back down. She didn’t try to ask another question. Rosalie stayed silent, not having anything to say.

They sat like that for the next two days. Alice didn’t say anything else to Rosalie, waiting for her to be the first to speak. She barely moved either, only moving her head and eyes so she wasn’t staring at one thing, or person, for two long. She tried to keep a close eye on her future, and Rosalie’s but there wasn’t much to look at. It kept changing. Sometimes it remained what Alice had seen thirteen years ago. Other times, it was simply black, or showed Alice joining the Cullens alone, among many other possibilities. Everything flashed through her mind so fast that she couldn’t make sense of any of it. It certainly left her with many thoughts she was trying to understand.

Rosalie remained leaning against the tree, trying her best to ignore the pain of the transformation. She hadn’t realized it would be like this. She thought it would help her feel better, but this was the worst she had ever felt. Death would have been preferable to this. She knew it would be over eventually. The doctor had told her it would be under three days. But she had no sense of time. It could have already been one day, or two, or a week or a month. She didn’t know. It was so dark in this area of the forest, she could barely tell night from day. Or maybe that was just how she felt, with her eyes squeezed shut so tight, unable to feel or comprehend anything other than the burning.

She found herself constantly twitching, trying to get away from or at least lessen it. Her fingers danced along the ground, digging through the dirt, picking at the moss and the roots it grew around. She crossed and uncrossed her legs, curling and uncurling her toes, trying to find the most comfortable position. There wasn’t one. She kept her head turned away from Alice and her eyes closed, refusing to look at the woman who had done this to her. She tried to stay as silent as possible, refusing to show how much pain she was in. she wasn’t always successful; she couldn’t hold back every scream or gasp of pain. She ignored the winces and murmured apologies from Alice every time this happened. Rosalie concentrated only on herself, only on praying this would be over soon.

She was so attuned to the flames, she could notice any slight difference in how it felt. At times it would flare up in certain areas of her body: her fingers, her leg, the part of her neck where she assumed she had been bitten. That spot always burned a little hotter than any other area of her. Sometimes, the flames increased. But they never lessened. Until it had been almost exactly two days since she had been bitten. She had no idea of the time.

Alice had been carefully counting the seconds, needing to know when Rosalie’s pain would end. She had noticed the small changes that occured in Rosalie while they sat. The biggest changes were that her other wounds had healed, leaving her skin flawless. Gone were any bruises or cuts caused by her attack. Even her childhood scars had been erased. Her hair had gotten a little shinier, a little more golden. Alice was sure it would eventually match her eyes. She couldn’t see them now, but Alice was sure the original blue color was gone, replaced by the fiery red. There hadn’t been many changes to her face or body; she was already far too beautiful.

These changes had occured over two days, in 172, 800 seconds. As she counted more, Rosalie’s expression changed. Her eyes flew open, revealing a red almost as bright as Alice had seen in her vision. They still had a slight tint of blue to them, that was ever so slowly fading as Alice watched.

“What’s happening?” Rosalie asked, her voice higher than normal with fright, but there was also a strange mix of joy.

“Why? What do you feel? Or see?” Alice asked. “I haven’t noticed anything.”

“The… the burning,” Rosalie said, digging her hands out of the ground and examining her feet. “My toes don’t feel it anymore,” she added, poking at her feet. She had kicked her shoes off early on, not wanting to feel them anymore.

“That must mean it’s nearly over. Car… Dr. Cullen told me this would happen,” Alice said, standing up to examine Rosalie. “It’s been two days exactly. So not much longer,” she added, after Rosalie turned to look at her. Alice took a step back. It hadn’t been a glare exactly, but it was clear Rosalie still did not want to be touched.

“So I’m almost free,” Rosalie said, a small smiling on her lips. The flames were inching back over her body at a miniscule rate; she could barely feel its slow progress. But any lessening in the burn was a gift.

“Yes,” Alice said after a moment of hesitation. Rosalie chose to ignore her, instead leaning back against the tree and savouring every part that was no longer burning. It was a relief to have some parts of her free from the flames, but the part of her that was still burning seemed like it was only intensifying, especially around her heart. Like the fire was sucked out of her toes and up her legs, through her torso and to her chest. She fell silent again, biting back another scream. She calmed herself by telling her it would be over soon. She would soon be free.

Alice didn’t say another word either. She moved a little further from Rosalie, and sat at the roots of another tree, leaning back on it. She continued to count the seconds, watching Rosalie for any signs of more change. Rosalie had her eyes closed again; her fingers were again twisting in the ground. Alice watched her fingers dig through the dirt as she continued to count.

It was another 43,000 seconds before Rosalie made any other side. This time, it was a scream of pain, louder than any before. Alice jumped up and to Rosalie’s side in less than a second, unable to stay away from her when she was in that much pain.

“What happened?” she asked, her voice full of fear.

“My heart,” Rosalie gasped. She had jerked when she screamed; she was now lying on the ground next to the tree. She convulsed on the ground, screaming again before she could tell Alice what had happened. “The fire… it’s concentrated there now. It was so sudden…” she tried to explain before breaking into another scream. Alice hesitated before reaching out to take Rosalie’s hand.

“That means it’s almost done. Just a few more seconds,” Alice said, trying to comfort Rosalie. She actually wasn’t sure, but she was praying that was the case. Rosalie couldn’t go through much more of this. It wasn’t fair. Rosalie continued to shake on the ground, her face twisted in pain, her eyes squeezed shut. It was another 180 seconds before she froze completely, her hand going limp in Alice’s before it fell to the ground. Alice gasped, falling back from Rosalie in shock. She wasn’t moving at all. The shaking, the twitching had stopped. Alice couldn’t even see her chest rising and falling with each breathe. She ran her eyes over Rosalie, looking for some sign that something had gone wrong. There was nothing, as far as she could tell. She was about to yell for Carlisle when Rosalie opened her eyes, staring up at the sky.

They were bright red, redder than Alice had ever seen. Redder even than hers were, redder than she had seen in her vision. They were strangely beautiful, Alice noticed as she stared into them. Rosalie sat up, the movement happening as soon as she thought to do so.

“Is it over?” she asked slowly, standing up in a movement just as fast. She looked around her in wonder, unable to understand how the forest looked so different now. Surely she hadn’t been moved again.

“I, I think so,” Alice stuttered out, slowly standing. She took a step closer to Rosalie. “Do you feel any more burning?” she asked.

“Just in my throat,” Rosalie said, still looking around without seeming to notice she had spoken.

“That’s normal, I’m afraid,” Alice said, smiling slightly. “How do you feel?”

“Confused. Why is everything so different?” Rosalie asked, finally turning to look at Alice. She paused for a moment, seeing the woman fully for the first time. She glanced away and then back, as if to clear her thoughts.

“That’s part of being a vampire. Better eyesight,” she explained. “It’s a lot at first, but you’ll get used to it with time.”

“Time…” Rosalie said, taking another step towards Alice and staring at her.

“We have a lot of it now,” Alice said nervously.

“What happens now?” Rosalie asked.

“Well, that… uh. We actually have a lot to talk about now,” Alice said, biting her lip.

“Then let’s get started,” Rosalie said, sitting down in front of Alice.


	7. Decide

“So they’re a family of vampires that only drinks animal blood?” Rosalie asked. Alice had explained what she knew about the Cullens, which admittedly wasn’t much. Rosalie was, understandably, hesitant. She was relieved she wasn’t in physical pain anymore, but that didn’t mean her mental pain was gone. She wanted to trust the woman that had saved her, but it was hard after what had just happened. She hadn’t been told about the burn, or what she would become. Only that she would be changed, and different. 

“Yes,” Alice said simply. She was trying to let Rosalie lead the discussion, allowing her to make whatever choice she wanted without Alice’s personal feelings interfering. 

“And how did you know they were here? How did you become a va- like this? How did you know what to do? How did you end up here?” Rosalie asked. She had so many questions; she wasn’t sure what to ask first or what she wanted answered first. Alice hesitated, unsure how to answer Rosalie’s many questions. They could all, except one, be answered with one response - her visions told her everything she needed to, except that all-important origin question. That was the one she could answer.

“I don’t know how I became like this. I woke up alone, with no memories of who I was before. There were small flashes that I guess were memories; maybe people that had something to do with changing me. But I don’t know for sure. They were long gone by the time I was aware,” Alice said, looking down at the ground. She avoided answering the other questions.

“Then how did you know?” Rosalie asked, pressing for more information. Alice hesitated again, not knowing how to respond to her. She couldn’t avoid answering her question forever, that much she knew. But she still wasn’t sure how to phrase it. Rosalie deserved an answer; she needed all the information before she had to make her choice. Alice wouldn’t deny her that. Not again.

“I… I saw it,” Alice finally answered, standing up and beginning to pace around the small clearing they were in. she waited a moment before looking back at Rosalie, giving her time to digest and interpret Alice’s answer while she tried to think of some way to explain it that would make sense. She didn’t have too many options.

“Alice,” Rosalie said, moving to her feet in one fluid motion. Alice turned to watch her, surprised with the grace the newborn moved. She was sure she hadn’t been so beautiful when she was first turned… “What do you mean you saw it? How could you see something like this? You said you were alone. Did others find you quickly?” she finished, running through the possibilities in her mind. She couldn’t understand why Alice was being so cryptic. 

“No, I… I was alone. No one found me. I was alone until I found you. I… some vampires have abilities,” Alice began, pausing to give Rosalie time to absorb the information while she determined how to phrase the rest of her explanation.

“What kind of abilities?” Rosalie asked, stepping forward, forcing Alice to look into her eyes. Alice felt her mind empty as she looked into Rosalie’s eyes. The oxygen was useless to her, but she took a deep breath anyway to help clear her mind. She took a step back as the words came to her.

“It varies from vampire to vampire. And only some have special abilities. You may not, but only time will tell. Carlisle knows one who can read minds-”

“Becoming a vampire gives people the ability to read minds?” Rosalie asked in disbelief.

“Only the one. Or maybe more; I’m not sure. For me, I… I can see the future,” Alice said slowly, her eyes flickering back to Rosalie’s to gauge her reaction. Rosalie’s face was smooth, betraying no emotion. “The first thing I saw when I woke up was Carlisle’s family. The second thing I saw… was you,” Alice added when Rosalie didn’t respond. She wanted Rosalie to know everything, and this was important to her. Rosalie was her future, somehow. She was sure of it. But in this moment, she wasn’t sure how this woman fit into her life. Or how she fit in Rosalie’s, beyond saving her life only to give her one she didn’t want. 

“You saw my future? What did you see?” Rosalie asked finally.

“Only part of it. And it changes sometimes. I’m not yet sure how they work. But I saw you and I going to live with Carlisle’s family. They welcomed us in and helped us adjust to the new life. I also saw you as a human, and… what would happen to you. But it was too late to stop it fully,” Alice explained.

“How could you see me? I’ve never met you,” Rosalie asked. She wasn’t sure what she had expected Alice to say, but it certainly wasn’t that. Was this the direction her life was always going to take? Was this the future she had always been destined for? She wasn’t sure of the answers anymore, and that bothered her. She had always been sure of where she would go in life, what she wanted from it. It bothered her that this strange woman could see things she couldn’t.

“I don’t know,” Alice said. “I’m glad I could,” she added, so quietly Rosalie almost didn’t hear her.

“What do you see now?” Rosalie asked. Maybe this decision had already been made for her, like every other one in her life. 

“I… I don’t see anything. Not for you,” Alice asked. Her face went blank as she searched her visions, looking for some clue of Rosalie’s future that she was asking for. “It’s blank. I don’t see anything beyond you speaking with me in this moment,” she added.

“I don’t have a future?” Rosalie asked, her voice breaking. She fell to the ground again, drawing her knees to her chest as dry sobs shook her body. Her eyes remained dry as she buried her face in her knees, not wanting to see anything anymore.

“You have a future,” Alice said, sinking to her knees in front of Rosalie. She reached out her hand, only to pull it back back touching her arm. “It’s just not decided yet. You have the choice here. I won’t see anything until you decide.”

“What decision is there to make?” Rosalie asked, glancing at Alice before hiding her face again. “I’m stuck like this forever. Stay here or go with you, stay alone or join a family I don’t know; it doesn’t matter. This isn’t what I wanted. This isn’t who I’m supposed to be.”

“You’re not supposed to be anyone other than yourself,” Alice said, reaching out a hand again and gently touching Rosalie’s elbow. “You may not have had choices before, but you can choose whatever you want know. We can stay here, you can go alone, we can go together. We can join them or stay on our own or be together or not. It’s anything you want. And whatever you decide, doesn’t have to be permanent. You can change your mind, and change it again. The last thing you are is stuck,” Alice said. Rosalie finally looked at her adjusting her arm so she was holding Alice’s hand.

“Together?” she asked, her breathing slowing as she looked into Alice’s eyes. Alice nodded once, smiling slightly as she looked back at Rosalie.

“If that’s what you want,” she whispered, gently squeezing Rosalie’s hand before standing up and pulling Rosalie to her feet.

“I want to meet them,” Rosalie decided.

“Then let’s go. Their house is a little ways through the trees,” Alice said, walking forward with Rosalie behind her.


	8. Meeting

Rosalie and Alice walked slowly through the trees, both lost in thought at they made their way to the group that may become their new family. Their hands remained locked together, neither sure what it mean but both sure that they didn’t want to let go. For Alice, she had waited so long for this moment that it didn’t seem real. She needed the proof that this was actually happening; she was finally in this moment and whatever was decided, she had a feeling she wouldn’t be alone anymore. For Rosalie, she didn’t want to let go of the woman that had saved her, of the only person that had ever let her make a choice for herself, over her own life.

She didn’t know what she was going to decide just yet. This was all so new, and she had never imagined that she would end up like this. She knew of the doctor and his small, unconventional family; now, she knew just how unconventional. She had never really met them before, had never interacted with them outside of occasionally seeing them around town. How could she become a part of their family? How could they accept her? She ran through the different scenarios in her head, analyzing all the different ways the introduction could possibly go.

Alice stayed silent, giving Rosalie the time she needed to think things over before they officially met the Cullens. Alice already felt like she knew them; she had spent the past thirteen years keeping an eye on them through her visions. But that was the only way she knew them. And they didn’t know her at all. What if they didn’t actually want her? What if she didn’t actually fit in? What was she supposed to do if the family she had been relying on for so many years wasn’t hers? She ran through the possibilities in her head, trying to see through the still-murky future for any clues. Things were changing too fast to get a clear idea. She glanced over at Rosalie, wondering if her indecision was the reason for the lack of clarity through her reliable, until now, visions.

The Cullen household was soon visible through the trees. Rosalie slowed as they neared the house, her apprehension clear on her face. Alice stopped beside her, squeezing her hand in reassurance before letting go.

“We don’t have to do this. You can still go your own way,” Alice said as Rosalie turned to face her.

“No. I want to see all my options before I make a decision. I just… need a minute,” Rosalie said, turning back to the house and taking a few deep breaths. She frowned slightly as the action made no change in her nervous state, like it always had when she was human. That was just another thing taken from her.

“Do you want me to go tell them we’re?” Alice asked, taking another few steps toward the house before Rosalie stopped her.

“No,” Rosalie said. “Stay with me,” she requested, holding out her hand again. Alice smiled before darting forward to take the outstretched hand. She looked back to the house, watching as the door opened and the three people she had been watching stepped out.

“Looks like they heard us out here, anyway,” Rosalie said, studying the expressions of the family. Dr. Cullen stood a few steps ahead of the others, his face a blank mask as he watched Alice and Rosalie a few yards away. The woman, his wife, was directly behind them, a welcoming expression on her face as she saw them. Only the teenager hung back, refusing to look at them or at the two adults with him. Rosalie fought back a snarl as she saw him. He looked up at her then, a look of anger crossing his face. The woman turned to him, reaching to take his hand and meet his eyes. It looked like she was trying to tell him something, without speaking. Rosalie remembered Alice saying that one of them could read minds. This must be the mind reader. He nodded before looking away from the woman, looking back across the yard to where Alice and Rosalie were standing.

“Are you ready?” Alice asked Rosalie.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she responded. The two walked through the trees faster than they had been walking and stopped right at the edge of the porch. Dr. Cullen stepped down to greet them.

“Good afternoon, Miss Hale, Alice. I trust that the rest of the transformation went well?” He asked, looking first at Alice and then to Rosalie. She took a deep breath before answering.

“I’m not sure how well I would call it, but I appear to be fully vampire. No more burning. Except in my throat,” Rosalie said, the hand that wasn’t clutching Alice’s reaching up to clasp at her throat, having forgotten about the burn until it was mentioned again. Carlisle let out a soft chuckle before responding.

“That’s what we’re looking for. Unfortunately your throat will continue to hurt, although it will feel better with age, and once you have been able to feed. I trust that Alice had told you everything?”

“Everything I know,” Alice answered. “Which isn’t much,” she added, unsure if she had given Rosalie enough information. She wasn’t sure how much she didn’t know about the family, or about the life they led.

“I know you’re… we’re vampires,” Rosalie said, cutting in. “Except you drink animal blood, not human. And you live together as a family. And that some of you have special abilities. And that becoming like this means I’ll stay exactly like this forever,” Rosalie said, her frustration breaking through as she went on.

“That’s all true,” Carlisle said, hoping his voice would calm her. “I’ve lived like this for… a long time, and my wife Esme, and son Edward, have lived with me for a little while. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have, or give you any help you need. You may also join us, if that’s what you decide.” After he finished speaking, the woman, Esme, stepped forward and reached a hand out to Rosalie and Alice.

“Hello, I’m Esme,” she said, gently shaking Alice’s hand. She left her hand out for a moment, but Rosalie didn’t shake it.

“I’m Alice. And this is Rosalie,” Alice responded. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

“You as well,” Esme said, smiling broadly.

“Rosalie. Do you prefer that over Miss Hale?” Carlisle asked, turning to look at Rosalie. She nodded, but wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Okay, Rosalie. Alice. Do you have any further questions for us?” he asked. Rosalie shook her head.

“How does your lifestyle work?” Alice asked. She hadn’t known the answer, and therefore wasn’t sure what to tell Rosalie when she wanted to know what their life would be like with the Cullens.

“We have to move around every seven or so years. We choose towns that have a lot of overcast days, as we can’t go outside in the sunlight. At least, not where we can be seen by humans. That’s easier to do, and appear normal, when there’s fewer sunny days to worry about. Edward goes to the local high school; thankfully, he can pass for as young as fourteen if we need him to. I work at the local hospital, and Esme stays at home. We usually make up a cover story as to how Edward is related to either of us; this time, he’s Esme’s brother. He’s also posed as an adopted child, or my younger brother. We need to go hunting about every two weeks, and we go as far as we need to hunt the animals we prefer,” Carlisle explained. Esme waited patiently by his side, smiling when he mentioned her. She leaned into him, wrapping her arm around his waist and pulling him close to her. Edward finally stepped forward at the end of Carlisle’s speech to stand with the rest of his family.

“Okay, thank you,”Alice said, looking to Rosalie. “Do you have any questions? Do you need anything?” Rosalie shook her head again. The group was silent for a few moments until Carlisle spoke again.

“You don’t have to decide right now. You can take some time to think it over, either staying with us or going off on your own. It’s all up to you. If you do decide to stay with us, we’ll have to move elsewhere soon.”

“Why?” Rosalie asked in a small voice. Both Carlisle and Esme hesitated, not sure how to answer her. It was Edward who did, speaking up for the first time.

“You’ve been missing for four days now, Rosalie. You look, act, and are completely different now. Your family cannot see you like this,” he said. It was a hard thing to hear, hut she needed to know sooner rather than later.

“I can never see my family again?” Rosalie asked.

“Unfortunately not. It’s never easy,” Carlisle said.

“I’m so sorry,” Esme said, reaching out a hand to comfort Rosalie. She didn’t respond to any of them; she stood there in shock. She had assumed as much during her transformation; had guessed that she couldn’t be near her family anymore. That didn’t mean it made it any easier to hear.

“Rosalie? What’s happening?” Alice asked, placing her other hand on Rosalie’ shoulder. She didn’t respond; she couldn’t find the words.

“Has she hunted yet?” Edward asked.

“Hunted?” Rosalie asked.

“No, she hasn’t had anything since I found her. Neither have I,” Alice answered.

“Why don’t you take her hunting then?” Carlisle suggested. “She’ll feel better once she’s had something to eat, and it may help her adjust. We’ll wait here.”

“Do you need someone to go with you?” Esme asked, looking first at Carlisle, and then over at Rosalie and Alice.

“No, I’ll be okay. I can teach her,” Alice said, understanding that Rosalie wanted to be alone. Or as alone as possible.

“Okay, be safe,” Esme said. “We’ll see you when you get back. It was nice meeting you,” she added, reaching out again to shake Alice’s hand. She smiled at Rosalie, before turning to walk back into the house. Edward followed her.

“It was nice meeting you, too,” Alice said.

“We’ll be here if you need anything,” Carlisle said, speaking to Alice. “And Rosalie?” he asked, turning to her.

“Yes?” Rosalie asked, glancing at him before looking down at the ground.

“I’m sorry this happened to you. I hope you find happiness wherever you go after this,” he told her, before following the rest of his family back into the house. Alice took Rosalie’s hand again and led her away, deeper into the forest.


	9. Hunt

Rosalie ripped her hand out of Alice’s and began running faster. She found she was stronger than Alice, and could go faster than she did. She didn’t have to stop. She could keep going, far away from this place and these people she didn’t trust. She darted on ahead, testing out just how fast she could run. Alice trailed behind her, moving her shorter legs as fast as she could in an attempt to keep up. They wove through the trees of the forest, moving far away from the clearing they had been waiting in and the house they weren’t sure they would come back to.

Rosalie stopped, without any signs of slowing down. Alice flew past her before realizing that she had stopped. She turned and was back at her side in an instant, like they had stopped at the same time. She waited for Rosalie to say or do something else. They were silent for a while before she did.

“What are we doing out here?” Rosalie asked. They had traveled quite far in the few hours they had been running, and they were clearly alone for miles around.

“The goal was to hunt, but whatever else you need,” Alice explained. “We can keep running, or talk, or you can run off and we’ll never see each other again. I can explain to you how to hunt if you want, but it’s mostly instinctual.”

“Okay. How do I hunt then?” Rosalie asked. Alice explained the simple steps of finding an animal, sneaking up on it, and pouncing before it knew you were there and quickly draining it. Rosalie winced at the violent act, but appeared ready to try it. 

“Do you want me to go with you or to wait here?” Alice asked. It had been a while since she had last hunted, but she would be fine for longer if Rosalie needed her in any way.

“I want to do it alone,” Rosalie said, before turning through the trees. She started slow, before picking up the pace and it wasn’t long before Alice couldn’t see her. She struggled to hear sounds of Rosalie in the woods, but she had gone too far to be heard. Alice settled in to wait. She thought about hunting herself, but couldn’t really focus on that. All she could do was worry about Rosalie. She began to pace the small clearing, her mind going blank as she tried to follow what Rosalie was doing. She still couldn’t, which was weird. She had never been unable to see someone before. She reasoned that Rosalie’s future must be so undecided that nothing could be seen of it.

After a long time, Alice heard Rosalie slowly moving through the trees. She didn’t look any different now, although Alice thought that she looked just slightly more alert and her eyes were a tiny fraction less red. They stood in silence for a moment before Alice spoke.

“How was it?” she asked, trying to subtly examine Rosalie for any easily visible issues or clues to how she was feeling. She couldn’t see anything.

“Fine,” Rosalie answered abruptly. They fell into silence again.

“I want to ask if you’re okay, but I think that answer would be obvious,” Alice said, trying to break the silence. She had to know how Rosalie was feeling but had no idea how to help her.

“It’s not that I’m not okay. I guess I am. Physically, at least. I just… don’t know what I want from my life anymore,” Rosalie said, walking to lean against a tree. She slid down it, sitting on the ground with her head in her hands.

“What did you want before this?” Alice walked to sit next to her,but then thought better of it and sat a few feet away.

“I… I wanted to be married with a family. To continue being exactly who I was. But now? How can I do any of that? He stole everything from me.”

“I’m sorry about what happened to you. I would’ve done anything I could have to stop it. I tried, but I was too late.”

“I know, I know. It’s not you I blame. Or at least, I know I shouldn’t. I’ll get there eventually.”

“That’s fair.” They sat without speaking again, listening to the sounds of the forest. The wind whistled through the trees, causing the leaves to rustle. Small mammals and bugs scurried away from them, clearly sensing the danger the two women posed. Alice took a deep breath, but then hesitated, trying to figure out how to phrase what she wanted to say.

“Maybe you can still have that life?” she finally said.

“Not like this.”

“Says who? You can still have a family. We could be your family, or you could find others like us. Nothing about who you are needs to change.”

“Everything’s changed now.”

“Your personality, interests, all of that didn’t change. Your mind is still there. The outside is just different.” Rosalie didn’t respond just continued looking at the ground. Alice still couldn’t exactly see her future, but it wasn’t as blank now. She was seeing flashes, small bits of various possible futures she could see for the woman. She couldn’t seem to settle on a path. Alice pulled herself out of the visions, allowing Rosalie the privacy to think it through.

Rosalie stood up and began walking away. Alice hesitated, then got up to follow her. She didn’t want her to leave without saying goodbye. “This isn’t what I wanted,” Rosalie said again, so quiet this time Alice wasn’t sure she was meant to hear it. “I don’t know what to do. I’m scared,” she added turning towards Alice, studying the ground in front of them.

“You have every right to be scared.” She reached out a hand towards Rosalie. She took it and they began walking through the forest, further away from the Cullen house. “It’s okay. We’ll be safe here.” Rosalie shook her head. “I’ve been watching these people. They are kind and open. They’ll help us. We can stay with them” She hesitated before adding the next part. “I know this isn’t the life you wanted, but I’ve seen our future. We're happy together, with them. They'll become our family." Rosalie shook her head, pulling away from Alice. She wasn’t sure she wanted these strangers to become her family. She already had a family. But she was beginning to understand she couldn’t go back to them.

“Are you sure? Is this where I belong?” She kept looking at the ground. She couldn’t look at Alice now. “I’ve never felt at home anywhere. Not here. How do I know I will feel it with them?” As she said the words, she knew they were true. She rarely had the chance to choose how she wanted to be, who she wanted to be. As such, she hadn’t been able to be comfortable anywhere because it was never what she truly wanted. But if she was forced into this life, could it really be the answer she had been looking for?

Alice stumbled over how she wanted to respond. She could see the reason in Rosalie’s words, the truth in them. She had seen her going through the motions of her life for years now. It was clear she had always struggled with it. Alice found the words from her vision so many years ago. 

"Because I'm here. I'm your home now. I promise you, you'll find your happiness and home here. This is where you belong."

Rosalie took a deep breath. "I still don't know. But I do trust you. I belong wherever you are, Alice," she said, looking up into Alice’s eyes for the first time. She stepped closer to Alice, so close their bodies were almost touching. Alice took a shaky breath, surprised by Rosalie’s sudden proximity, the truth in her words, and the power in them.

She took a step back.

“Are you ready to go home now?” she asked, glancing quickly into Rosalie’s eyes before looking away. 

“Yes,” Rosalie said, reaching forward and taking Alice’s hand.


	10. Epilogue - Two Years Later

Alice bounded down the stairs, running out to the garage where Rosalie was working on fixing up a car for Esme to use. It was the second one she had worked on, and she really enjoyed it. She was good at it; finally able to explore all the things she had been interested in but had never been allowed to work on. Alice stood and watched her for a moment, examining the careful way she worked with the metal so she wouldn’t break it. Her newborn strength was gone, but she was till hyper-aware of how easy it would be for her to accidentally crush the engine.

“Can I help you?” Rosalie asked with a smile, using a nearby towel to wipe the oil off her hands. The towel itself was so covered in oil it was a wonder it still worked. But she threw the towel aside and walked to Alice, quickly kissing her forehead before grabbing her hand to pull her to the car.

“Did you figure out what was wrong with it?” Alice asked, examining the twisted metal that made no sense to her. Rosalie had tried to explain many times what all the different parts were, but Alice hadn’t absorbed any of it. She was content to work on her designs while Rosalie worked, finding the gentle sounds and Rosalie’s humming as she worked to be comforting.

“Of course I did. The engine wasn’t connected properly. It’s a wonder we got it here at all. But it should be fixed now,” Rosalie answered, knowing Alice would prefer the simple explanation. “Where’s Esme? I want her to try taking it out for a spin.”

“Her and Carlisle are… occupied.”

“Oh… it can wait.”

“That’s what I thought you’d say,” Alice said with a giggle. “I was going to ask if you wanted to go hunting? It’s been awhile for me, and I know you didn’t go last time because you were so absorbed in that motorcycle....”

“Great idea! Let me change and I’ll be right along!” Rosalie dropped the hood of the car and sped out of the garage, up to her room where she took off her dress and changed into a pair of pants and cotton t-shirt, both much easier to hunt in. She ran back downstairs and met up with Alice, who was waiting by the edge of the forest for her.

“I missed you,” Alice said, taking her hand.

“I was gone, like 30 seconds.”

“33, to be exact,” Alice said, squeezing Rosalie’s hand. Rosalie rolled her eyes, but bent down for a quick kiss before turning to run through the trees. Alice followed her, eventually taking her hand from Rosalie’s so they could race. Rosalie tended to win, her long legs helping her take further and faster leaps. 

They ran for a few minutes, each trying to determine the best place to start hunting. They had been going to the same place for a few weeks now, but didn’t want to overhunt in the same area so they wanted to find somewhere else. They ran past their usual spot, looking for someplace nearby. They ran a few more miles before they found a spot with what seemed like an overpopulation of bears. It made sense; as it was early spring. Alice stopped running, and Rosalie looped back to her.

“Think this is a good spot?” Rosalie asked.

“Yes. I don’t see any issues. And it seems like there are more around,” Alice said, after taking a quick scan of her visions. She usually did this before a hunt, just to make sure there wouldn’t be any issues. It made Rosalie more comfortable, and it was easiest.

“Awesome. Let the hunt begin!” Rosalie said, shifting into a hunting crouch. Alice watched her disappear further into the woods before taking a few steps away herself, and searching for her own prey. It was a short task; she didn’t like to dwell on it too much. She found her prey quickly and pounced, drinking her fill and jumping away before the animal even knew what was happening. She debated catching another, but felt too full for it. 

She went back to the clearing she had stopped with Rose, waiting to hear her finish. Rose typically took longer, especially since she hadn’t had as much practice hunting as Alice had. She didn’t need to, but Alcie couldn’t stop herself from listening closely to make sure there were no sounds of trouble. She couldn’t stop the worry. Before she knew it, Rosalie finished her hunt too and ran back to Alice.

“Feel better?” she asked, looking into Alice’s golden eyes. Hers only had a slight orange tint to them by now; she was sure it would be gone anytime and her eyes would be the same beautiful gold. She couldn’t wait. 

“Especially now,” Alice said with a smile. They hadn’t been officially together long, and she could never erase the joy she felt that everything had worked out so perfectly. She held nothing but love for Rosalie, and was still overjoyed she felt the same way. 

“Do you want to head back now?” Rosalie asked, again linking her hand through Alice’s. Not a moment went by that they weren’t touching in some way, especially when Rosalie initiated the contact. Alice was careful to not do anything without consent.

“Let’s just walk around the woods for a little bit,” Alice said, leaning into Rosalie’s side. “It’s such a nice day.”

“Yes, it is.” They began slowly walking through the forest, looking at the trees around them and anything else nearby. They occasionally spoke, talking about their plans in this new town and what else they wanted to do. Rosalie loved to hear about Alice’s new designs, and Alize was happy to bounce ideas off her. She found a lot of inspiration in the color and shapes she could see in the woods, and she was discussing how she could incorporate them into a new collection of dresses with Rosalie.

“Do you hear that?” Alice asked, pausing.

“Hear what?” Rosalie asked, straining to listen. She had just been talking about the next car she wanted to work on when Alice interrupted her. But she couldn’t hear anything out of the ordinary.

“I think someone’s in trouble,” Alice said. She could hear a bear roaring in the distance. Rosalie finally heard it too.

“They just woke up from hibernation, dear. I’m sure the animal’s just angry.” But then Rosalie immediately held her breath.

“That’s a human. We have to help them!” Alice called, breaking into a run. Rosalie followed her, still holding her breath. She didn’t trust her self control that strongly just yet. 

“Alice, wait! We don’t have to do anything,” she said, quickly catching up to Alice.

“I didn’t leave you alone. I won’t leave him alone,” Alice said, pausing just long enough to say that and then took off at a run again, in the direction of the sounds and smell of blood. Rosalie understood, running after her to see how she could help. They reached the man quickly; he was covered in his own blood and had at least a few broken bones. It was clear that he wasn’t going to last much longer. He was cowering away from the much larger animal, unable to stop from trying his best to survive. He wouldn’t go down without a fight. Rosalie took a quick breath to have enough air to speak, fighting against the urge to fight the bear to take the human for herself. 

“What should we do?” Rosalie asked.

“Can you distract him? I’ll go in to change him,” Alice said, watching the scene to ensure they wouldn’t be too late.

“Shouldn’t we ask Carlisle first?” Rosalie asked, using the last of her air. 

“I didn’t ask him about you,” Alice said, reaching over to squeeze her hand. Rosalie nodded, then leaped forward to fight the animal. Once it was distracted, Alice went to the man and knelt beside him. His injuries were different than Rosalie’s had been, but were just as bad. Her visions told her there was no way he would survive this as a human. She bent down to bite his neck, hoping he would remain unconscious as long as he could. She stepped back from him, running to help Rosalie finish off the bear.

“Now what?” Rosalie asked, once the animal was long dead.

“We need to get him home. I can carry him,” Alice said, walking back to the man and bending to pick him up. He was easily twice her size, but she carried him easily.

“I’ll run ahead and warn Carlisle,” Rosalie said.

“Sounds good. I shouldn’t be too far behind,” Alice said, adjusting so that she could run easier. The faster they got him to Carlisle, the better.

“I’ll see you soon. I love you,” Rosalie said, bending down to give Alice a quick kiss before she ran off through the trees, faster than she ever had before. Even in the midst of the tense situation, she couldn’t hold back her smile. It was the first time Rosalie had said that to her.

Alice ran after her, hoping Carlisle would be ready for the sixth addition to their family.


End file.
